A once a year treat for my palate. Very rich ale, but not so sweet or heavy as to be off putting. The oak / creamy / fig-dark fruits flavors produce a hugely pleasurable taste and mouthfeel. English through and through.

The look a solid oaky brown color with a delicious lacy amount of foam. The smell is akin to apple cider with a hint of raisins? The taste is smooth and reminds me of cinnamon and pudding. I don't taste much coffee but I'm ok with that because I'm not sure how much coffee would fit into this. The feel is good and leaves a pleasant aftertaste. Overall this is a decent beer, but it reminds me of a winter warmer more than a strong ale.

A: Pours a dark, hazy orange color with an off white creamy full head, head lasted a few minutes, good amount of carbonation streaming up the side, slight lacing.

A: Dark fruits like plum, dates, toffee, caramel, blackberries, touch of oakiness, figs, raisins, almost reminds of a lightly aromatic Samuel Smith Imperial Stout with a touch of blackberries and oak, very nice complex aroma without any alcohol on the nose.

T: Up front there's a light taste of dark fruits like plums, dates, figs, raisins, blackberries, slight oakiness in the middle, finish is semidry with toffee and caramel sweetness lingering in the aftertaste, very complex, as the beer warms a slight honey flavor emerges, very balanced.

O: The appearance is dull but overall this beer has great yet subtle aromas, flavors, and mouthfeel, it's complex and changes throughout as the beers warms in it's aromas and flavors, very smooth and creamy mouthfeel, very drinkable and enjoyable, a great balance of dark fruits, oak, and that British bready and biscuity yeast characteristics, greatly enjoyed this one.

The back label says "Brewed in 2014" but I don't see any bottle date or import information. The ABV is listed as 7.6% on mine. The neck of the bottle has "SK26N1" printed on it.

Appearance: The body of the beer is opaque with a brown appearance. There are hints of red and orange. The head is short and has a very light khaki appearance that is nearly white. It doesn't have very good head retention or lacing.

Aroma: It has a fairly strong buttery caramel aroma with toffee and sweet malt. There is a bit of a brown sugar aroma too.

Taste: Sweet caramel flavor with just a touch of a butter and a light bread crust finish. It is a sweet tasting beer but not one that is sickly sweet. Instead it is a bit like a lightly sweetened tea. Like tea it also has both earthy and woody qualities in the aftertaste. There is also a bit of a strawberry flavor in the aftertaste. I should note that while this beer is oak aged it doesn't have a strong oak flavor but it is easy to tell that there is a definite character that this contributes to the beer. As the beer starts to warm up a bit the fruity flavor at the end does not get stronger but has greater depth. It starts to develop a bit of a prune flavor. The alcohol is barely even noticeable in this beer although as it warms up it tiptoes in the background.

Mouthfeel: I mentioned that the beer does not taste sickly sweet and one thing that really helps the flavor is the lack of texture in the beer. It is not a thick or heavy beer but rather a lighter bodied beer. It has a rather dry finish which is nice for such a sweet tasting beer because it finishes very clean.

Overall: I really enjoyed this beer. It has a high alcohol content and it is aged on oak (as per the bottle) yet instead of being heavy handed it takes a very elegant approach. I would recommend it and I would drink it again. The overall profile of the beer is very balanced with a sweetness that does not overpower the earthy qualities which in turn do not overpower the light fruity finish which is not too strong as to ruin the next sweet sip. The whole beer just works well in harmony. It would make for a good holiday or special occasion beer.

L: muddy brown, thin tan head
S: oak, dark fruit...has that British smell
T: caramel malts, some oak
F: lighter in body than I thought, molasses on the finish
O: a good to very good beer, not as great as expected

Pours a cloudy brown with an orangish red tinge covered by a thin white head. The nose leads with sweet malts, rich dark fruits like plum, cherry, figs and spice. The taste reveals a lot of the same along with the addition of an oaky aftertaste. There is a slight alcohol burn and an earthy funk that is finished with a slight bitterness. The carbonation is very mild and the mouthfeel is slightly syrupy but not cloying. I quite enjoyed this beer.

Pours a deep amber with a champagne like head that goes away quickly. Not much in the way of lacing.

Smells rich like a subtle port with raisins, oak and plum.

Tastes nearly as rich as it smells much like the nose with a little bitter on the back end and some sherry notes and caramel.

Medium bodied with a richness that covers over the alcohol. Very light carbonation.

Definately would be a familiar profile for a port or sherry drinker. Easy to drink but would do so in moderation with how rich it comes across, the bitterness on the back does clean some of the rich taste away.